A Roundabout Confession
by takaondo
Summary: After storming the Kuchiki Estate, Ichigo confronts Rukia on a previous engagement. Though she initially didn't understand why he was acting the way he was, it soon becomes clear to her; only Ichigo would come up with such a roundabout way to confess.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own BLEACH.**  
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**Author's Notes: **This is a really short idea inspired by the thought of 'how to confess without actually confessing' after thinking about Ichigo and Rukia's relationship for one of my other stories. It was written quite quickly, so I'm worried about the quality of it. However, I'm happy at how well the idea was portrayed so I hope most of you enjoy this one-shot.

On another note, an Omiai (お見合い, and yes, the 'O' is an honorific) is a 'marriage meeting' or a 'marriage proposal'. Think of it like being betrothal but with the couple's input.**  
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_**A Roundabout Confession**_

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Kurosaki Ichigo swept down the long hallway of the Kuchiki Estate. His footsteps were loud against the wooden floor. His body posture was agitated. The servants of the Kuchiki Estate only watched him silently and fearfully as he marched passed them. They knew he was trespassing without any formal permission, but unlike the unconscious guards at the gate, they didn't dare try to stop him.

Reaching his destination, his hand nearly ripped the shoji door from its place as he slid it roughly aside. However, he froze as soon as he saw the person inside.

Kuchiki Rukia could only stare at him in surprise as he surveyed her. His face fell slightly as he noticed the formal attire she wore.

"Ichigo…?" Rukia spoke up disbelief. Her eyes lit up curiously. "What are you doing here?"

Ichigo turned his face away from hers, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I heard you went to an omiai." He said bluntly. Rukia's eyes instantly widened.

"Who told you?" She asked.

"Renji." Ichigo answered quickly.

"Oh." Rukia muttered as she looked away. Turning back to him, she cleared her throat. "Well, are you going to stand there like an idiot, or are you going to come in?"

Ichigo silently moved over to the small table in the middle of the room and sat himself down on the floor cushion. Rukia kneeled down at her own floor cushion on the other side and tried to figure out why Ichigo was acting the way he was. He was looking to the side, purposely avoiding her gaze. Though he tried to hide it, the lines on his face made it clear;

He was clearly sulking about something.

"So… how did it go?" Ichigo asked, finally breaking the silence.

Rukia was snapped out her thoughts.

"Eh?" She responded.

"The omiai." Ichigo said quickly, still refusing to meet her gaze.

"Oh." Rukia replied. Her face lit up with slight confusion before she answered. "I rejected him."

"Then…" Ichigo ventured. He hesitated for a moment before he continued. "You must have been obligated to give him a reason."

"A reason?" Rukia asked.

"For rejecting him." Ichigo finished.

Rukia was confused by his statements. She didn't understand what he trying to do. Her eyebrow rose curiously as she answered.

"Of course." Rukia replied, though with a skeptical tone.

"The most obvious reason for rejecting an omiai would be to say..." Ichigo started. His head slowly turned towards her, but he only stared at the table as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "There's someone else that I like."

Confusion instantly etched itself onto her face.

"Ichigo… what are you –" Rukia asked.

"Let me finish." Ichigo interrupted.

He paused for a moment, hesitating again before he spoke.

"After saying that there was someone else, he would have probably asked you." Ichigo said. "Who is this person?"

His hand clenched slightly at his side.

"But you couldn't answer right away… because that person couldn't be compared to a noble like him."

Ichigo's face softened slightly, but the scowl remained.

"He was just a boy… who was brash, stubborn, and idiotic."

Rukia's eyes slowly widened in realization.

"But even so, you still answered him." Ichigo continued. "And you told him…"

He slowly looked up and their eyes locked upon one another's.

"The person I like is Kurosaki Ichigo."

Rukia only stared at him in surprise as he turned away from her again. Ichigo scowled slightly, hoping his face was as red as he thought it was. However, the color only deepened as he heard soft laughter coming from the person in front of him.

He glared at Rukia incredulously as she covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"You really are an idiot!" Rukia said. She grinned in amusement at his embarrassment. "Only you would come up with such a roundabout confession."

"Shut up!" Ichigo retorted in humiliation. He turned away with a glower. "I'm not the type of person to say 'I love you', or 'I want you to be with me'…"

Rukia froze as her eyes widened in surprise at his words. Ichigo slowly turned back to her and his eyes burned brightly with determination.

"I'd just say…" He started off. His face softened as he stared at her. "Don't ever go to another omiai, Rukia."

Rukia's own face softened as she stared back at him. Her face held a deep sense of happiness, and the contentment sparkled off her features. There were many ways for her to have responded, but she wasn't the type of person to say something over-sentimental.

Her lips curled into a small smile before she said one word.

"Ah…" Rukia answered softly. Ichigo only smiled at her response.

That was more than enough.

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**Final Words: **Though it was a short one-shot, I hope most of you enjoyed it. I actually struggled with the ending because I didn't know what kind of note I wanted it to end on. The first draft was a humorous ending, but then I thought it wouldn't have given enough closure on the confrontation. So I stuck with a more heartfelt one, which I hope most of you liked.**  
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